The Archbishop of Canterbury welcomed the King of the Ashanti Kingdom in Ghana to Lambeth Palace August 1.

His Excellency Otumfuo Nana Osei Tutu II, who is an Anglican, is on a private visit to the United Kingdom and requested an official visit with Archbishop Justin Welby.

The king, who was greeted by Ghanaian drummers and dancers, was accompanied by senior chiefs and the Ghanaian High Commissioner, H.E. Victor Emmanuel Smith.

In a welcome speech the archbishop said the king’s visit to Lambeth Palace was not just a great honor but also “a symbol of reconciliation.”

Having made much progress toward reconciliation in the aftermath of colonialism, he said, Ghana’s political and traditional leaderships have made it “one of the beacons of Africa” and “a shining hope for the future.”